


Five Years Overdue

by EndlessMidnightSky



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen, Guns For Hire AU, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), plague clouds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-05-06
Packaged: 2018-03-29 08:10:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3888871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessMidnightSky/pseuds/EndlessMidnightSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>York has always been a man to hold grudges against those who have done him wrong. Five years after he fleeing his home city of Emerald to save his life, he returns to finally take a chance at getting even.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Years Overdue

**Author's Note:**

> A missing scene from the Guns For Hire RP.

There’s a storm brewing in Emerald. The clouds are low and the first wisps of yellow are being blown through the streets by the growing wind. Said streets are nearly empty as people have already hurried home to avoid getting caught while still in town. Those left either don’t care if they have to wait out the storm in a store or else have no home to go to.

‘Will you quit following us!’ The shout rings out down a street as a man in dark red kicks out at a smaller form who scuttles out of the way just in time.

‘Please,’ she begs. ‘Just a few credits.’

‘Beat it,’ snaps one of the man’s two companions, drawing a gun and aiming it at her.

The girl cries out and flees, ducking behind a dumpster in a nearby alley.

‘Fucking beggars,’ the second man mutters, holstering his gun again. ‘Should’ve just killed her.'

‘Storm will get her anyway,’ says the third of the trio, a woman in silver grey. ‘Did you see her helmet? No way is that thing going to hold up against a storm. Unless she gets inside, she’ll be dead before the clouds are even completely in.’

The three continue down the street as the wisps grow stronger around them, the wind tugging at their clothes. They’re dressed similarly in ripped jeans, faintly patterned t-shirts and boots, the main variant in their outfits being the color scheme, red, green and silver; as is typical of Adaptive. The leather jackets they wear are black, studded and sport the letter T in their own color on the back.

The clouds are poisoned yellow this time, a deceptively bright color against the darkening city. It won’t matter soon when the clouds close in thick enough to block out almost any light, but for now the storm is still brewing and possible to see through, especially with the added HUD of the helmets they wear.

Up ahead a figure appears through the wisps, hazy in shape at first, but getting clearer as it gets closer and closer until he’s fairly clear in front of them. His color is tan, a color that could easily be mistaken for yellow if not for the clouds surrounding him and providing contrast. A standard mark VI helmet colored to match hides his face and protects his lungs.

‘Hello!’ he calls out as he nears. ‘Hi, I wasn’t sure I’d catch you before you went in to wait the storm out. Can you help me? I’m uh… kinda lost.’ The stranger chuckles and rubs the back of his neck ruefully.

‘Where are you trying to get to?’ the man in green asks.

‘The Lockdown lock and security system shop. I was sure it was around here somewhere, but I can’t seem to-’

He breaks off as the three burst out laughing.

‘Lockdown? That place went out of business years ago,’ the woman says. ‘Air filtration system failed and they all died inside when a storm rolled in.’

‘No one took over, so they fixed the air filter, refurnished the place and turned it into a hardware store,’ the man in red adds. ‘Where the fuck have you been that you know Lockdown but don’t know that?’

They get no response and gradually their laughter dies down until there’s no sound but the whistling between buildings. The man’s hands are clenched and when he speaks, his voice is hard.

‘I heard the air filtration system was sabotaged,’ he says.

The trio straightens.

‘And how would you know about that?’ the woman asks.

‘By being the one you did it to punish,’ he replies. ‘Been a while, Tracks. Can’t say not seeing you assholes for five years has been a downer.’

The man in red draws his pistol, levelling it at the tan man’s helmet.

‘Thief,’ he says. ‘Often wondered what happened to you after you ran away like a coward.’

‘Well I stayed alive,’ Thief replies, shrugging. ‘Which is more than what would’ve happened if I’d stayed here.’

‘And now that you’re back, you can join your co-workers.’ The pistol fires, but Thief has already dropped to the ground, rolling to one side and springing up to rush at the man. Caught by surprise at the failed shot, the Track member doesn’t react in time to stop Thief from knocking the gun from his hands and punching him in the solar plexus. Winded, he staggers back, his gasp for breath turning into a cough.

The storm is getting closer.

With one member catching his breath, the other two draw their own pistols, but Thief grabs the man in red and holds him close, making it impossible to fire without risking hitting their own. They try to get closer, but Thief shoves his human shield at them and knocks them off balance. While they try to regain their balance, he disarms them and kicks the pistols down the street.

The Tracks recover quickly, bringing up their fists and circling their opponent.

Thief drops into a fighting stance and follows the circle at a distance just far enough to make him a bit hazy in the clouds.

‘Since when are you a fighter?’ Silver demands. ‘You’re a locksmith who steals for extra credits.’

Before he can reply, she darts forward, throwing a fist at his chest, but her hand glances off his arm which has come up to block the blow. She twists under the arm, but he catches her second attempt, twists her arm behind her back and kicks her down.

‘Yeah, well the thing is that when you leave someone alone for a few years-’ He pauses to dodge a kick from the man in green and delivers two punches to his chest and a knee to his stomach in retaliation. ‘They learn new skills and then get _good_ at them.’

‘So you’re a street fighter now?’ Red asks. He’s still breathing strangely and coughing occasionally, but he and the woman both attack Thief at once while Green tries to straighten from where he’s doubled over. The man’s punch is easily turned away, but the woman’s kick to the chest glances awkwardly off Thief’s block and sends him back a few steps, shaking his arm for a moment before quickly shifting back into stance and launching himself at them.

‘Nope. I’m a mercenary,’ he says, throwing an elbow into the side of Red’s helmet and spinning to deflect Silver’s attack, kicking her in the side when she leaves it exposed and pushing her back so he can deal with Green who has just rejoined the fray.

‘Oh, so you’re all for killing now?’ Green jeers as the two of them exchange a series of punches and blocks. The effect is somewhat ruined by his having to cough every few blows. Red joins back in after finding them in the clouds and his first hit catches Thief in the shoulder, but he moves with it and recovers too quickly for the follow up to be effective.

‘I don’t usually like killing,’ he admits, kicking one of them into the other. ‘Actually, I try to avoid it. But there are exceptions to every rule, and one of mine is people who have hurt my friends and family.’ His tone has turned cold. ‘Jared Evans, Maxine Garner, Zaryab Taghvaei and Paula Martinez. Did you even know their names?’ He snorts and his next kick sends Red to the ground. ‘Of course you didn’t. Why would you care? You just killed them because I refused to break you into the Lakes Banking system.’

‘It was an easy hit-’

‘It manages the money of most of the poorest people in Emerald! If you’d come to me looking to get into ETB, Goldrush or _Encost_ ,’ he spits the name ‘I’d have done it. But not Lakes. You killed my friends and made me leave my family, home and _everything_ to stop you from killing me next.’

'We didn't _make_ you le-' Green is cut off as a shot fires and Thief cries out, a flash of red tainting the yellow clouds. Silver has found one of their discarded pistols. The shot got him in the left arm, only scraping, but taking a good chunk of flesh with it.

Thief wheels, drawing a pistol from a hidden slit in his pants and firing at Silver. All shots miss, but they were meant to, letting him get close enough to force the gun out of her hands while she’s dodging bullets. He punches her back, then roundhouse kicks her in the head. She crumples and doesn’t get up again so Thief turns to the two men.

They attack together, but despite his injured arm, Thief is still able to stop most of their attacks. Red goes down second from a kick to the head. With a helmet on, it’s one of limited ways to knock someone unconscious without a weapon. With only Green left standing, it’s only a few seconds before he joins the other Tracks on the ground.

~~~~

York stands over the three unconscious forms, breathing hard and shaking. His right hand covers the wound on his left arm and he can feel the blood against his fingers, the throbbing pain and the sting as the clouds get to the exposed flesh.

But he’s not done yet.

‘You three got away with murder for five years,’ he says as he collects the Tracks’ three pistols and stashes them on his person. They might not be able to hear him, but that’s never stopped him talking before. ‘You might have thought that you were safe, in fact I’m sure you did, but unluckily for you, I hold grudges for a _long_ time.’ He breaks off to cough. As good as his helmet filter is, it won’t hold out against the full storm so he needs to finish this quickly.

He stops by Red and kneels down next to him.

‘I’m a firm believer in the punishment fitting the crime, so I’m going to do what you did to my co-workers, my _friends_.’ He pulls Red’s helmet off and watches him seize as the toxic clouds are pulled into his lungs. ‘I’m going to let the clouds do the work.’

He stays there, watching as Red convulses and twitches, his veins running dark and splotches appearing under his skin until he makes a choking sound and falls still. It only takes seventeen seconds.

Standing up, York makes his way over to first Green and then Silver, taking off their helmets and watching them succumb to the poisonous fumes as quickly as Red had.

‘At least you were unconscious for it,’ he spits. ‘It’s more than what you granted them.’

‘Nice.’

York spins round at the voice, dropping the helmets and snatching his pistol. The figure in front of him holds up their hands.

‘Not gonna hurt you, or tell on you or anything, York,’ she says. ‘Just thought you might want some help getting rid of the bodies.’

‘How do you know me?' he demands. 'Who the hell are you?’

‘Someone who’s been following these creeps for years and will be glad to be given a new assignment,’ she replies.

There’s a pause, then York groans and the pistol is holstered.

‘You’re one of Florida’s, aren’t you?’ he asks and she laughs.

‘Yep. He told me you were coming.’

‘Of course he did.’

He steps back over to the two men and grabs their ankles, hissing when his left arm throbs.

‘I’ll help you patch that up after we’ve gotten rid of these three,’ the woman says, picking up Silver and the three helmets. ‘What do you want to do with these?’

‘I’ll keep them and get them wiped. I know someone who might have use for them. Or you can have one. That helmet’s got to be older than D-’ He cuts himself off.

‘It’s old, but air filter system is top,’ she tells him as they start to drag the bodies away, keeping close so they don’t lose sight of each other in the clouds. ‘Florida had it installed, but I insisted I keep the helmet. Makes me look like the street rat I am. Beggars are almost invisible to society, it’s a good way to get information. I’ve asked these three for credits hundreds of times over the years and they seem to forget what I look like if I don’t show up for a couple of days.’

York coughs, following the woman into an alley.

‘Do I get a name?’ he asks.

‘Kelly. I’m not as paranoid as you guys are, and I know you won’t tell since you know I’ve got Florida over me.’

‘Yeah… Consider my lips welded shut.’

She laughs again and stops walking. ‘Here. Cover into the waste sewers. No one goes down there and even if they did, the place is corrosive enough that it will have destroyed any identification chances if they’re found.’

They force the cover up and push the three bodies down one by one, sealing the cover back after them. York stays knelt for a moment, his hand back on his arm and coughing until Kelly taps him on the shoulder.

‘Come on,’ she says. ‘I’m sure you’re overwhelmed with the knowledge that you’ve finally avenged your friends, but we need to get inside before the storm hits and get you patched up.'

‘Right,’ he says, nodding and getting to his feet. ‘Elation later.’

Kelly takes his good arm and leads him down the street towards a nearby building. ‘You going back to Gulch tonight?’

‘No, not for a day or two,’ he replies, smiling under his helmet. ‘There’s someone else I need to see first.’


End file.
